The leadership of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA) is calling for a strike authorization vote.
In a YouTube video posted on Wednesday morning to its members, SWAPA 1st Vice President Mike Santoro says the vote is needed as leverage to get the company to negotiate over working conditions and companywide problems.
"Due to the lack of leadership and progress with regard to negotiations, we find ourselves in a sadly historic time" the union said in a social media post. *Watch the video below.
A strike authorization vote would give union negotiators the ability to call for a strike if negotiations break down.
Over the Christmas holidays Southwest was forced to cancel thousands of flights daily, leaving travelers stranded across the country. Unions representing Southwest employees have been saying the problem was not just due to the weather, but rather the outdated technologies Southwest uses to schedule its crews.
So far, Southwest Airlines has not responded to our request for a comment.
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